Chili Crawl throws spotlight on Midtown businesses

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The sixth-annual Chili Crawl at Omaha’s Midtown Crossing took place Saturday.

Six businesses took part: Stories Coffee Company; Ray’s Wings, Pizza and Drinks; Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and Tap Room; Sofra Kitchen; Chef Around the Block; and Pa Mas Taqueria and Grill. Chef Around the Block supplied the chili for three of the restaurants.

It gave people the chance to sample different types of the stew, including homestyle, Wisconsin cheese, and even pizza chili.

However, Chef Around the Block owner Dan Benigno said it also encouraged people to visit Midtown Crossing and learn about and support the businesses there.

“Having these crawls and having these destination events helps really increase the eyes that get to see these restaurants that really help support the local business community, help the local scene,” Benigno said.

“They’ve got a lot of cool events that come through Midtown Crossing, and I think Omaha needs to really come out and support these small businesses more often so that we don’t lose them.”

Midtown Crossing hosts several events like this throughout the year, including last month’s Crawl-O-Ween and an upcoming Holiday Cocktail Crawl in December.

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